We left New Zealand, a 1am Singapore Airlines flight, on this day a year ago today.
The days leading up to leaving were full of the things I love best. Solitary early morning walks, the beach, good people, and sunshine at Christmas.
The clothes- line pictured is loaded down with swimsuits after a swim in the river at Cooks Beach. And the little hut at the end reminds me of the much-hated longdrop toilets that occasionally featured in my childhood memories. This was was decommissioned and could therefore be defined as picturesque.
It's a blue-sky 5.2 celsius day in Antwerp as I write this. It reads colder than it feels. I have the bedroom window open and we've already been out for a short walk. Coats and scarves were involved but we still haven't even had many serious frosts. There was blossom out there. And there was that one evening of snow that didn't settle a while ago.
Gert was cautioning me, explaining that the Belgian winter kicks in in January and February. Last winter was simply brutal and long. December through into June, more or less.
Anyway, from the backyard of a New Zealand crib (South Island) or bach (North Island), holiday home (rest of the world) ... a little bit of simply happy.
I would be wicked if I didn't add today's news from Cooks Beach ...
80mm of rain in 2 hours, as reported by New Zealand's TV3. And I will admit, NZ does have unstable weather around Christmas. In fact, if you're planning on visiting NZ, February's considered a more reliable time.